Shortcuts

By: Randal Myers

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I love shortcuts. If there is a side-road or a cut-through or a back-road I'm there. Many times shortcuts and back roads provide scenery and experiences that many in the main-stream miss out on. Occasionally, though, shortcuts aren't all they're cracked up to be.

I remember one particular fishing trip that took me about two hours west of my home. We left long before daylight and made the arduous drive to our destination, fished all day and then started out for the drive home. We were very tired and anxious to get home. Considering our route we agreed that there had to be a shorter way. After deliberation, we turned off of the main road to ìcut acrossî and save time. Bad move. We were stopped by a train that crossed our winding road two or three times. The road was small and pulling a boat forced a lower rate of speed than the main road we had left. We miscalculated where our new road came out. When all was said and done we had ìshortenedî our trip home from two hours to three!

About five years ago I had the opportunity to go to Montana for the National Campus Ministries Seminar. I was excited for several reasons. It was a great event and I knew I would gain a lot from being there, but it also provided a chance to see a part of our nation that I had never seen before. When I arrived, I was in awe of the scenery and having part of the day to myself before the seminar began I rented a car and took off for Yellowstone National Park. I decided I would take the family on a video vacation through the park. So, with video camera in hand, I raced through Yellowstone. I charged here and there screeching to a halt to film the elk, the hot springs, the geysers, the mountains and numerous sites of interest (including the officer who pulled me over to rebuke me for stopping my vehicle in the wrong place!).

It was great! I saw Yellowstone National Park in only four hours. Hardly. Yellowstone is the largest national park in the world and covers 3472 square miles and almost two and a quarter million acres of land in three states; a land mass larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. My adventure did make for a fun day and a pretty humorous video, but in reality, I only saw a tiny portion of what Yellowstone has to offer.

"...on his law he meditates day and night."

I recently read a quote from National Geographic Magazine which reminded me of my trip. Carl Sharsmith, an 81 year-old guide in Yosemite national Park was back in his tent after a long afternoon with tourists. He was exhausted, partly from the trip he had just guided, but partly from the question that had been asked by a tourist. A lady had come up to him and said, ìI've only got an hour to spend at Yosemite. What should I do? Where should I go?î

ìAh, lady, only an hour,î he said. ìI suppose if I only had an hour to spend at Yosemite, I'd just walk over there by the river and sit down and cry.î

Some things just take time. A quick visit would be worthless. That's the way it is with the beauty and value of the Scriptures. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2) The word of God can't be appreciated in a cursory glance. Its truths can't be absorbed in a few minutes. Its benefit cannot be obtained through an occasional survey. It must be read, studied, ingested, dwelt upon, applied, poured over, prayed about and meditated upon. The Bible is a supernatural book with supernatural promises attached. Only those willing to invest themselves in it are eligible to received the spiritual growth God has promised through it. If you only have a few minutes to spend with the Scriptures...just go sit down and cry. The Word of God...there are no shortcuts.

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